Green roof research to help sustainable practice

A 12 month environmental study has now been concluded that will help inform sustainable practices in the built environment.

The Institute has worked with Barking Riverside Ltd, University of East London, Environment Agency and other business partners to investigate practical green roof applications at a facility at Barking Riverside. The project will provide invaluable guidance on how best to deliver the London Mayor's vision of 100,000 square-metres of green roofs across Greater London by 2012.

Green roofs provide numerous ecological and economic benefits including water management, mitigation of the urban heat island effect, energy conservation and enhance biodiversity.

Darryl Newport, Director of the Sustainability Research Unit at the University of East London said: "With the growing need to consider the environment when planning the design of our cities, this research will provide valuable research and technical advice on the impact and performance of green roofs in regeneration areas."

Test platforms were situated on the roof of transport containers to replicate the conditions of a standard green roof, with a waterproofing layer added as standard for green roofs. Activity also involved looking into the thermal dynamics, water quality and water attenuation properties of green roofs, along with their ability to support biodiversity.

"With the test platforms constructed, we hope that further research into best practice for roof design will follow. Working with the Institute for Sustainability and other partners, the outcomes will be shared to enable developers, architects and planners to adopt this practice as far as possible in future designs" Darryl added.

For more information on this project, contact Darryl Newport at d.j.newport@uel.ac.uk or view the project page by clicking here.